BC does not have “among the laxest home-schooling rules in North America.” If the writer did her homework, she would see that, in almost every province across Canada (and much of the U.S.), parents homeschool their children without being supervised or evaluated by certified teachers and with no “government certificate” upon graduation. If she checked out the homeschool research, she would see that not only do homeschooled kids perform better than public schooled kids regardless, they are also sought out by colleges even with their homemade diplomas. Indeed, in most provinces “there is no requirement that home-schoolers follow the provincial curriculum, use any specific textbooks or teach any particular subjects and concepts.” Yes, she is right that BC dictates that “Parents seeking to home-school their children … exercise complete independence and control over their children’s education,” as do most jurisdictions across North America. And this is as it should be – education is a parent’s responsibility after all and parent involvement in a child’s education is the primary indicator of success.

She states “Those kids are not eligible to get a high-school diploma.” This is incorrect as homeschooled kids (in the traditional option in BC) don’t get a public school diploma, but they do earn a homeschool diploma, which as I said is good enough for most institutions of higher learning. True, admission to university is often “done on an individual basis” but many universities across Canada have homeschool policies and actively seek out homeschoolers. If you’ve been to the homeschool conference here in Nova Scotia, you’ve seen colleges and universities present to recruit homeschoolers every year.

After criticizing conservative homeschoolers, the writer ends her piece with these inflammatory sentences.

But the Supreme Court also affirmed that governments have the right to ensure that home-schooling parents provide sufficient instruction. British Columbia isn’t doing that. And, by not exercising its right, the government has for years failed in its duty to children, who all have the right to reach their full potential.

She is assuming here, incorrectly, that homeschoolers are guilty of not properly educating their children. Without proof. In fact, as I have already mentioned, studies show quite the opposite. Assuming all parents are neglecting their duties on the educational front is the same as assuming all parents are abusing their children. It would be just as ridiculous to suggest every family needs regular state visits to ensure they are not abusing their kids as to suggest homeschoolers need regular educational checkups.

Always look to the research on homeschooling! Parents are their children’s first and best teachers, hands down.

Have you read anything recently that made you realize you can’t believe everything you read about homeschooling? Please let me know in the comments below!

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It’s Homeschool Registration Time in Nova Scotia!

If you have already decided to homeschool your child this year, it’s homeschool registration time. September 20th is the deadline to register your child in Nova Scotia. It’s easy to register! Just follow these steps:

All children ages 5 to 16 (re Amendment to Education Act Regulations, Section 3(1)) must be registered by September 20th of the coming school year (although if you’re starting mid-year this doesn’t apply). Registration must include:

in the case of previous public school experience, the last grade level attained; in the case of previous home education experience, the program level of achievement and estimated equivalent public school grade level; and identification of the proposed home education program” (Regulations Section 39 (2))

2) Fill out (online or on paper) your registration form, or you may choose to send in a letter of intent with the required information (if you are an HSLDA member, they provide a template). If you are registering your child for the first time (they have never been in a Nova Scotia school before), the Ministry will demand a copy of your child’s birth certificate, so you may want to include one with your registration.

In the Regulations, reference is only made to providing your children with an “educational program”. There are no stipulations as to what the “educational program” must be and can be whatever you feel is appropriate to give your child a well-rounded education. So, don’t agonize over filling out the registration form because this gives you complete freedom to choose whatever materials (religious or secular) you want and to design your own program that meets your child’s needs.

If you are using a curriculum that you purchased, you can say yes, your curriculum is commercially available, fill out the name and level of the curriculum and then your registration ends there – no need to fill out all the little subject boxes. But don’t forget to sign it (they will send it back for a signature – ask me how I know)!

3) Mail or send your registration digitally.

All done! Homeschool registration time doesn’t have to be stressful.

Can you decide to homeschool in the middle of the school year?

Yes! Simply fill out the registration form and send it in whenever you decide to start. The September 20th deadline is just for those who have decided at the beginning of the school year.

Are you enjoying home economics in your homeschool? One of the benefits of homeschooling is having the time to teach your kids all the skills they will need to use after they leave the nest, and being able to make it a fun part of your homeschool day! Another great benefit is that your kids can focus on a home economics subject if it’s one of their passions, such as the culinary arts – including cake decorating.

Culinary Arts in the Homeschool:

Enjoy Cake Decorating

The culinary arts are a big hit with both my 18 year old son and my 13 year old daughter. My son has even been working in a kitchen for two years now. They each started helping me in the kitchen when they were toddlers and could cook simple meals by the time they were 6 years old. Many days, you can find my kids both singing and dancing to music in the kitchen while they cook homemade chicken nuggets and fries or beef stroganoff, or bake chocolate chip cookies or homemade brownies. I love moments like that – especially when I get to enjoy the fruits of their labour!

My daughter developed a particular interest in cake decorating, years ago. I’m no expert, but I love making fancy cakes for birthdays. Kids love piping frosting on cakes so we often allow guests to decorate their own cupcakes or collaboratively decorate a cake at her birthday parties.

At first, my daughter enjoyed simply baking cakes from scratch with me. Then she started to experiment with decorating them. A lot of her inspiration and information at first came from videos she watched through Always Icecream.

She started to get interested in making and decorating with fondant. I knew absolutely nothing about it, so we turned to Craftsy. There’s a great, free, step-by-step mini-course called Basic Fondant Techniques that has taught my daughter how to make fondant and use it to great effect! She has watched it countless times, and each time she wants to use one of the techniques, she watches the video while she works. My daughter has insisted on making her own birthday cakes for years now!

She made this dragon egg (nesting in the sand) cake for her dragon themed birthday party a few years ago:

This cake is a masterpiece from a few years ago:

She also enjoys making fondant flowers:

And my daughter still loves having fun decorating with buttercream frosting as well. Here is a Pinky Pie (from My Little Pony) cake that she created freehand:

Craftsy offers a bunch of great, free mini-courses, many of them in the culinary arts, so be sure to check them out! And then, if your child loves them, they can move on to classes such as Advanced Fondant Techniques and The Art of Painted Cakes.

Does your child have an interest in the culinary arts? Do you have any fun ideas to share? Please let me know in the comments below!

If you’d like to see how other homeschoolers cover home economics and life skills in their homeschools, check out Add Life Skills to Your Homeschool at The Canadian Homeschooler.

Love, Luck &
Laughter,

Kimberly

This post contains affiliate links, if you click through and buy I may make a few pennies to keep up Homeschooling in Nova Scotia.

Please note: This article was originally published in October, 2014 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Spelling Fun in Your Homeschool

Spelling doesn’t have to be boring or tedious. Spelling can be fun! Toss those work sheets and spelling tests and give some of these resources a try for spelling fun in your homeschool. Spelling is important. Because spell check doesn’t catch everything!

SpellQuizzer

SpellQuizzer is great for any age, especially if your child loves to type and hates to print or write. Drill spelling words on the computer by recording the words (and a sample sentence or definition for your child), OR let your spouse or a special guest do the recording for even more fun. My daughter used to adore being a special guest for her big brother’s spelling words. You can also use it to drill vocabulary words, foreign language words, and more! Learn more, check out our SpellQuizzer review and get your free trial here.

The Homophone Machine

Homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently) are fun to learn about and they’re even more fun with the free online homophone machine. Your elementary age child will enjoy typing in words and phrases and see all the homophones appear. Try all the wonderful ideas and games suggested on the page for even more spelling fun.

Board Games

Board games play a big part in our everyday homeschool. Of course, Scrabble can be a great help for practising spelling. But there are many more games for spelling fun, such as Pick Two (which I adore) or Boggle. What’s your favourite?

Rummy Roots

Card games can add fun to your homeschool day, too! We’ve owned and used the Rummy Roots card game for many years. It is recommended in The Well-Trained Mind. We find it a terrific help for spelling words with Latin roots, studying Latin, and expanding vocabulary.

At first, when our kids were younger, we used it as a matching card game – simply matching Latin/Greek roots to their English definitions. Then we began playing the game properly – making compound words out of the various Latin and Greek roots, at first with two roots, and then with two or more. Recommended for ages eight to adult, I find anyone who reads well can play it.

Spelling Bees

I wish I could have participated in more spelling bees when I was a child – I only had the chance to enjoy one spelling bee in my Grade 4 classroom. My son enjoyed competing in spelling bees when he was elementary school age, although I don’t think he ever quite enjoyed spelling as much as I did.

Spelling bees aren’t as proliferous as they once were, but they are still around. Check out your nearest spelling bee and use their resources to study! If you’re in Nova Scotia, enter your child in the Halifax spelling bee. Even if your child doesn’t want to compete in a spelling bee, you can join the Scripps Spelling Bee Word Club for free spelling bee materials!

To practise, let the child who just can’t stop moving jump rope, bounce on an exercise ball, or jump on a mini trampoline for some extra fun. The spelling words will even stick in their brain better with the exercise!

Learning to Spell for Little Ones

There are many enjoyable resources available for your little ones who are learning to read and spell. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed The Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading. Spelling rules are so easy to remember when sung to the well-known tunes included in the program, “Rule Tunes.” And there are many more spelling games, including Bingo.

You may not have heard of Wordy Qwerty, as it isn’t well known, but it sure can be a fun addition for your little one. The JingleSpells spelling songs are a fantastic part of this spelling program. There are 20 incredibly well done tunes. They’re catchy and fun to sing along with, including everything from country to rock.

Are you making spelling fun in your homeschool? What resource makes it fun for you? Please let me know in the comments below!

Love, Luck &
Laughter,

Kimberly

Please note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and buy I make a few pennies to keep up Homeschooling in Nova Scotia. Thanks for your support!

The Canadian Online Homeschool Conference

The Canadian Online Homeschool Conference starts Friday! It is a five-day virtual event featuring knowledgeable speakers, a vendor hall, opportunities to interact with other attendees, fun, and giveaways! All without leaving the comfort of your own home (or paying for gas or other travel expenses). It is free to attend live (with the option to buy a complete access pass after it ends). I am excited to be a part of it!

Speakers and Sessions

This conference features a variety of speakers, from homeschooling moms to owners of businesses you’ll want to hear from. Speakers include Lisa Marie Fletcher (the host of the conference), Donna Ward, Louise House, Bev Rempel and me! Sessions include topics such as getting started, homeschool methods, all ages and stages including high school, subjects such as math and reading, and more.

Homeschool Community

Chats. Parties. Prizes. Used Book Buy & Sell. Connect with other homeschoolers and help create an environment of community and fun during this conference.

Vendor Hall

Visit with some of your favourite homeschooling vendors and learn about some fantastic new ones in the vendor hall!

Giveaway!

Giveaway is open worldwide and ends at midnight Atlantic Time on Friday, February 10th. Winner will be notified via email and must respond within 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.

Love, Luck &
Laughter,

Kimberly

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and buy, I make a few pennies to keep up Homeschooling in Nova Scotia. Thanks for your support!

Homeschool Curriculum Choices in Nova Scotia

Parents interested in homeschooling always ask me where they can get homeschool books, often assuming they are issued by the Department of Education. The good news is, we have endless homeschool curriculum choices in Nova Scotia.

Since the Department of Education does not specify what course of study we have to follow, homeschoolers can decide for ourselves. Under the Regulations of the Education Act, Section 39 (Home Education) refers to “a parent providing a home education” and states:

A registration form required by subsection (1) shall include,

(a) in the case of previous public school experience, the last grade level attained;

(b) in the case of previous home education experience, the program level of achievement and estimated equivalent public school grade level; and

(c) identification of the proposed home education program.

Therefore, homeschooling parents in the province of Nova Scotia are free to determine what our “education program” looks like, and are simply required to provide this information to the Department of Education.

Some of the more popular homeschooling approaches and a few of the many curriculum options …

Charlotte Mason

Unschooling

Unschooling involves child-led learning. The child decides what they want to learn about.
Curriculum example: Does not follow a curriculum, but reading Learning at Home by Marty Layne and the works of John Holt will give an idea what it’s about.

Montessori

Montessori is a private school system, based on the works of Maria Montessori, with an emphasis on wooden tools and toys, and organization and order.
Curriculum examples: Lisa Nolan Montessori, Montessori Homeschool

Waldorf

Waldorf is also a private school system, based on the works of Rudolf Steiner, with an emphasis on arts and hand-crafts, music, natural materials, and nature.
Curriculum example: Oak Meadow

Eclectic

Many homeschoolers put together their own curriculum from a wide variety of curriculum choices, using a separate curriculum for each subject.

Where to Buy

There is one homeschool curriculum store in Atlantic Canada where homeschool materials and curricula are available, Tree of Life, located in New Brunswick. A used homeschool curriculum store is also located in Berwick, Nova Scotia, Homegrown Homeschool Consignment. Many homeschoolers depend on their local library for wonderful books for their children, both fiction and non-fiction.

Online Public School Classes

Also, here in Nova Scotia, we can choose to have our Grade 7-12 students take Correspondence Study Program courses for some subjects. Although a full course load is not available, our children can take a few classes each year such as English, math, and science. These online courses are expensive, however, and tend to be full of the busywork typical of public school programs.

Potential homeschoolers are always asking if homeschooling is expensive and how to make it more affordable. So, can you homeschool on a shoestring? Absolutely!

Can You Homeschool on a Shoestring?

Entire homeschool curricula can be found online, as can books, games, worksheets, you name it. I don’t know how homeschoolers did it before the advent of the personal computer! To peruse a whole bunch of homeschooling freebies I’ve found, you can click on Free Homeschooling Resources to see a list of everything I’ve shared in the past.

Other than using the internet, here are some simple things that we do or use to save money in our homeschool…

Library – we do not buy books we can find at the library – I use our local library’s website to search from home and can take a trip to the library weekly

Dollar store – there are so many things we can use at the dollar store, from bristol board and tape, to books and workbooks

Freecycle or any free exchange group – we used to belong to our local Freecycle group before it closed down and then joined a Facebook exchange group. We’ve received all sorts of great books and freebies as well as gifted unwanted items to others

Re-usable curriculum – we use Tapestry of Grace. Once you’ve bought all 4 years of the program, you have the outline for all 13 years of school, for as many children as you have. Plus, I have always saved the curricula that I use with my eldest to use with my youngest when she gets to that level.

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Homeschooling Your Child with Special Needs

Are you considering homeschooling your child with special needs? Many parents choose to homeschool their children with various special needs such as autism, ADHD, Downs Syndrome, giftedness, diabetes, and deafness.

A friend of mine started homeschooling her special needs child a few years ago, because his medical issues made being in the classroom downright dangerous. A simple fall could be deadly and the public school wasn’t willing to out necessary measures into effect. We started homeschooling our son in part because he was playing chess at age three and was bored when we put him into public school for his Kindergarten/Primary year.

Home Schooling Children with Special Needs is a book written by consultant Sharon Hensley. You can find the book and an informative collection of answers to FAQs at the Sharon Hensley Consulting website.

There are many blogs you can read for information and encouragement. At Not New To Autism, Penny talks about homeschooling with autism.

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Free Online Homeschool Conference!

I love homeschool conferences! They are a great way to learn about different curricula and meet new homeschooling families, and the sessions can be invaluable. I always leave refreshed and energized to tackle a new year of homeschooling.

I try to make it to as many as I can but since the Nova Scotia conference is usually the same weekend as my daughter’s dance recitals (as it was again this year), I usually don’t get to go. Of course, there’s also the fact that it’s almost a five hour drive to get there! Some years I haven’t been able to go due to finances or a lack thereof.

Now there’s an online conference I can attend, yay! The Digital Homeschool Convention offers more than 30 different sessions over four days next month. Topics vary from special needs homeschooling, to creating homeschool portfolios, to finding margin as a homeschool mom! You will enjoy these encouraging uplifting words from amazing homeschool moms.

I am especially looking forward to Creating Margin as a Homeschool Mom (something I often struggle with) by Heather Bowen and How to Make Art Appreciation a Natural Part of Your Homeschool Life (because I would love to) by Erica Johns.

The best part of this conference is that you don’t need to leave your house. You don’t have to spend money on food, gas, or hotels, and registration is free as are the sessions! Mark it on your calendar now – it all happens July 22-25. You can register here, free!

Have you been to a homeschool conference? What do you think is the best part about attending a homeschool conference? Please let me know in the comments below!

Love, Luck &
Laughter,

Kimberly

Please note: This article includes affiliate links. If you click through and buy, I make a few pennies to keep up Homeschooling in Nova Scotia. Thanks for your support!

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Homeschooling Through it All

There are so many advantages of homeschooling, such as being able to go on field trips as often as you want, and time for exploring passions and extracurricular activities. But how do you homeschool through illness, family stress, or crisis?

When we first moved provinces almost 10 years ago, my then 8 year old son had a little trouble adjusting. He missed his best friend and he missed simply being able to walk over to his friend’s house almost anytime, having moved from a suburb home to a rural one.

For the first few months of homeschooling that year we were able to keep a light homeschooling load. We took a day off whenever he felt overwhelmed by it all, and we spent a lot of time outside on our new 50 acres of land as well as sight-seeing across our beautiful island of Cape Breton.

Minor illnesses are easy. Whether I am sick (as I am right now) or my kids are sick, we usually still homeschool to a certain degree, but it’s often limited to some light reading, with perhaps a few educational videos. If any of us are experiencing some stress, we can take a day off, a few days off, or even a week off. Then we come back energized and ready to dive right back into homeschooling again!

In our first year of homeschooling, when my son was 6 years old, he contracted influenza. My poor child was ill for weeks and felt a lingering weakness for some time afterward. We were able to take it easy and introduce homeschool work gradually once he started feeling a bit better. I hate to think about how stressful it would have been if he was in public school and stressed out about catching up on all the work he’d missed. Even worse, we might have been pressured to send him back to school when he was still in a weakened state.

Recently, one of my family members in Ontario was sick in the hospital. My 17 year old son and I were able to drop everything and drive out to visit. It was time well spent and we were very happy to help out and see our loved one get released from the hospital before we came back home again. My 12 year old stayed home with her father and went about her usual extracurricular activities. working on some light homeschooling while we were gone.

The flexibility of homeschooling through it all is a wonderful advantage – homeschooling is flexible and we can adjust the work load to suit us at any given time, including taking some time off.

Have you experienced the advantages of homeschooling through it all? Please let me know in the comments below!